A post from Julie!
I saw my oncologist last week for my usual 3-month
checkup. She does lab work, a quick
physical exam, and talks to me about life after cancer. Steven always comes with me to my
checkups. Partly this is because he
wants to hear first hand what the doctor says, and partly to keep me on task
and not get too distracted. It’s a good
balance and we usually make time for a quick trip to Starbucks after we
leave. All in all I don’t mind going
every 3 months.
This past visit we discussed the next few years (it is a
good sign when you get to talk about anything with your oncologist in terms of
years and not weeks or months) Steve and I learned that it takes an average of
2-3 years to get over the physical and emotional trauma from a significant breast cancer treatment. Multiple surgeries, the nightmare of chemo,
and the burden of knowing that this beast can come back takes a lot out of
you. That is if there are no
complications and you bounce back well.
Which I am not. Bouncing. Very
much.
Ok, maybe a little bounce.
It really depends on the day. I
have been dealing with hives for 8 months.
They come every night and mostly disappear during the day. They itch. Like crazy. Sometimes they hurt, like a burn would
hurt. They cover my body. Some days I think I may lose my mind because
the worst hives are in that spot on your shoulder blades that you can’t reach
to scratch no matter how much of a contortionist you try to be. Some days I think I may lose my mind because
I am so tired from the drugs I am taking to control the hives. Some days I think I many lose my mind because
I am still dealing with hot flashes and chemo brain fog and weight gain. Some days I just think I may lose my mind for
no reason at all!
But I digress…
I have seen lots of medical doctors, kept up with my
chiropractor and acupuncturist, taken more medications than I care to think
about, and read everything under the sun about chronic hives. No answers.
Hives and my immune system seem to be one of the great mysteries of our
day. Well, and cancer. We still need a cure for cancer.
Which brings me back to my visit with my oncologist. She told me over and over to eat well and
exercise and keep my spiritual life strong.
She told me that it would take time to get my life back and feel like
myself again. She told me to be
patient. She told me to eat right and
exercise. Again. I love her for her common sense approach to
medicine and medical mysteries. She doesn’t pretend to have all of the answers,
she just keeps me focused on what I can do each and every day to live life to
the fullest. With or without
answers.
So, I am.
